It is with particular pride that Jazz Lines Publications presents edited and corrected publications of the library of octets composed by Alec Wilder, written between 1938 and 1940, with another group written in 1947. These were recorded for the Brunswick, Columbia and Vox labels, and a CD compilation of these octets is available from the Hep label. During the late thirties, several composers were intrigued with short-form composing using jazz rhythms and harmonies. Wilder was writing arrangements for dance band and writing songs when he had a meeting with Joe Higgins, an executive with Brunswick Records. Higgins envisioned a new series that would also become popular and sell records. Wilder suggested that the ensemble be made up of woodwinds (so he could include such fellow Eastman School of Music alumni as Mitch Miller and Jimmy Carroll) with bass and drums. He was listening to the harpsichord quite a bit during this time – his friend John Barrows was composing pieces for the instrument, and Miller was performing concerts with harpsichordist Yella Pessl - so Wilder added that instrument as well. Alec wrote a test piece for the ensemble, and Brunswick executive and Wilder friend Morty Palitz gave the okay for a recording session to be held during December of 1938. Wilder’s titles for these octets are sometimes autobiographical, sometimes elusive. Very early on, Wilder realized that the clarinets and flute could play swing rhythms easily, but the double-reeds could not (today many saxophone players double on oboe and bassoon, so this is no longer an issue). He successfully exploits this ‘swing vs. straight’ issue in his music, part of the reason why these pieces are even more popular today. He was also well trained in classical music: Sea Fugue, Mama is indeed a swinging classical fugue.

It is with particular pride that Jazz Lines Publications presents edited and corrected publications of the library of octets composed by Alec Wilder, written between 1938 and 1940, with another group written in 1947. These were recorded for the Brunswick, Columbia and Vox labels, and a CD compilation of these octets is available from the Hep label. During the late thirties, several composers were intrigued with short-form composing using jazz rhythms and harmonies. Wilder was writing arrangements for dance band and writing songs when he had a meeting with Joe Higgins, an executive with Brunswick Records. Higgins envisioned a new series that would also become popular and sell records. Wilder suggested that the ensemble be made up of woodwinds (so he could include such fellow Eastman School of Music alumni as Mitch Miller and Jimmy Carroll) with bass and drums. He was listening to the harpsichord quite a bit during this time – his friend John Barrows was composing pieces for the instrument, and Miller was performing concerts with harpsichordist Yella Pessl - so Wilder added that instrument as well. Alec wrote a test piece for the ensemble, and Brunswick executive and Wilder friend Morty Palitz gave the okay for a recording session to be held during December of 1938. Wilder’s titles for these octets are sometimes autobiographical, sometimes elusive. Very early on, Wilder realized that the clarinets and flute could play swing rhythms easily, but the double-reeds could not (today many saxophone players double on oboe and bassoon, so this is no longer an issue). He successfully exploits this ‘swing vs. straight’ issue in his music, part of the reason why these pieces are even more popular today. He was also well trained in classical music: Sea Fugue, Mama is indeed a swinging classical fugue.

In 1962 Tadd Dameron was commissioned by Benny Goodman to arrange a number of pieces for an upcoming tour of Russia. Tadd turned out several great arrangements including Swift as the Wind, Our Delight, Good Bait, On a Misty Night, and this arrangement of Moon from the East. As far as we know this arrangement wasn't recorded and possibly never performed. The setting for the arrangement is a Middle Eastern feel with a fitting melody. The arrangement was written to feature Goodman as a soloist on top of the band. In keeping with our other Tadd Dameron arrangements, we have scored the solo clarinet part into the band so that it is playable with a standard big band lineup. Reed 1 is on clarinet throughout. Reed 2 is on alto saxophone and flute, reed 3 is on flute and tenor saxophone, reed 4 is on clarinet and tenor saxophone, and reed 5 is on baritone throughout. There is no solo section on this. Ranges: Trumpet 1 to E6 Trombone 1 to Ab4

It is with particular pride that Jazz Lines Publications presents edited and corrected publications of the library of octets composed by Alec Wilder, written between 1938 and 1940, with another group written in 1947. These were recorded for the Brunswick, Columbia and Vox labels, and a CD compilation of these octets is available from the Hep label. During the late thirties, several composers were intrigued with short-form composing using jazz rhythms and harmonies. Wilder was writing arrangements for dance band and writing songs when he had a meeting with Joe Higgins, an executive with Brunswick Records. Higgins envisioned a new series that would also become popular and sell records. Wilder suggested that the ensemble be made up of woodwinds (so he could include such fellow Eastman School of Music alumni as Mitch Miller and Jimmy Carroll) with bass and drums. He was listening to the harpsichord quite a bit during this time – his friend John Barrows was composing pieces for the instrument, and Miller was performing concerts with harpsichordist Yella Pessl - so Wilder added that instrument as well. Alec wrote a test piece for the ensemble, and Brunswick executive and Wilder friend Morty Palitz gave the okay for a recording session to be held during December of 1938. Wilder’s titles for these octets are sometimes autobiographical, sometimes elusive. Very early on, Wilder realized that the clarinets and flute could play swing rhythms easily, but the double-reeds could not (today many saxophone players double on oboe and bassoon, so this is no longer an issue). He successfully exploits this ‘swing vs. straight’ issue in his music, part of the reason why these pieces are even more popular today. He was also well trained in classical music: Sea Fugue, Mama is indeed a swinging classical fugue.

This interesting Mary Lou Williams arrangement was written in 1967 for the Duke Ellington Orchestra. Duke never did play it, however. The tune was originally written in 1953 and recorded during a quartet date with Don Byas. Mary Lou later would adapt for chorus recording it in 1970 as Mary Lou's Mass. This arrangement moves between straight ahead swing and African Waltz. There is a solo section for tenor saxophone that may be opened up for additional solos. For the African Waltz section a sample drum pattern has been supplied by Ndugu Chancler as Mary Lou did not include one in her score. In addition, an optional guitar part has been supplied and piano voicings indicated by Mary Lou have been included. This is not a technically difficult arrangement and the ranges are moderate making this playable by less experienced bands and a great opportunity to expose musicians to Mary Lou Williams's style of writing. Ranges: Trumpet 1 to C#6; Trombone 1 to Bb5.

It is with particular pride that Jazz Lines Publications presents edited and corrected publications of the library of octets composed by Alec Wilder, written between 1938 and 1940, with another group written in 1947. These were recorded for the Brunswick, Columbia and Vox labels, and a CD compilation of these octets is available from the Hep label. During the late thirties, several composers were intrigued with short-form composing using jazz rhythms and harmonies. Wilder was writing arrangements for dance band and writing songs when he had a meeting with Joe Higgins, an executive with Brunswick Records. Higgins envisioned a new series that would also become popular and sell records. Wilder suggested that the ensemble be made up of woodwinds (so he could include such fellow Eastman School of Music alumni as Mitch Miller and Jimmy Carroll) with bass and drums. He was listening to the harpsichord quite a bit during this time – his friend John Barrows was composing pieces for the instrument, and Miller was performing concerts with harpsichordist Yella Pessl - so Wilder added that instrument as well. Alec wrote a test piece for the ensemble, and Brunswick executive and Wilder friend Morty Palitz gave the okay for a recording session to be held during December of 1938. Wilder’s titles for these octets are sometimes autobiographical, sometimes elusive. Very early on, Wilder realized that the clarinets and flute could play swing rhythms easily, but the double-reeds could not (today many saxophone players double on oboe and bassoon, so this is no longer an issue). He successfully exploits this ‘swing vs. straight’ issue in his music, part of the reason why these pieces are even more popular today. He was also well trained in classical music: Sea Fugue, Mama is indeed a swinging classical fugue.

It is with particular pride that Jazz Lines Publications presents edited and corrected publications of the library of octets composed by Alec Wilder, written between 1938 and 1940, with another group written in 1947. These were recorded for the Brunswick, Columbia and Vox labels, and a CD compilation of these octets is available from the Hep label.\r\n During the late thirties, several composers were intrigued with short-form composing using jazz rhythms and harmonies. Wilder was writing arrangements for dance band and writing songs when he had a meeting with Joe Higgins, an executive with Brunswick Records. Higgins envisioned a new series that would also become popular and sell records. Wilder suggested that the ensemble be made up of woodwinds (so he could include such fellow Eastman School of Music alumni as Mitch Miller and Jimmy Carroll) with bass and drums. He was listening to the harpsichord quite a bit during this time his friend John Barrows was composing pieces for the instrument, and Miller was performing concerts with harpsichordist Yella Pessl - so Wilder added that instrument as well. Alec wrote a test piece for the ensemble, and Brunswick executive and Wilder friend Morty Palitz gave the okay for a recording session to be held during December of 1938.\r\n Wilder's titles for these octets are sometimes autobiographical, sometimes elusive. Very early on, Wilder realized that the clarinets and flute could play swing rhythms easily, but the double-reeds could not (today many saxophone players double on oboe and bassoon, so this is no longer an issue). He successfully exploits this swing vs. straight issue in his music, part of the reason why these pieces are even more popular today. He was also well trained in classical music:

An important piece of American Music History is finally available for performance and study! This multi-movement work takes about 30 minutes for performance. The movements correspond to the 12 zodiac signs: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. Background (from the forward by Jeffrey Sultanof): In 1945, Mary Lou Williams was playing at a club called Café Society, owned by Barney Josephson. She also had a weekly radio program. Josephson suggested that she write something ambitious for the radio show, and she wound up conceiving a suite based on the signs of the zodiac. The individual pieces were to honor her friends born under each of the signs. It was Josephson who conceived of a concert of the suite, and produced it at Town Hall on New Year's Eve day of 1945. Mary Lou recorded the entire suite with a trio for Asch Records (which later became Folkways); these masters are now owned by the Smithsonian Institution and are easily available. Williams orchestrated the suite for chamber orchestra and premiered this version at the Town Hall concert with her teacher Milt Orent conducting from one-line conductor parts (these may be in his handwriting). There was very little rehearsal, and Williams wound up playing a couple of the movements as piano solos, even though they'd been fully orchestrated. The experience was not a positive one for her. By the end of the concert, she was upset and frustrated. Gathering up all of the music, she left the hall quickly, and as far as is known, this version of the Zodiac Suite was never played again during her lifetime. I continue to do independent research on concert music in various forms that is either jazz and pop flavored or has jazz soloists, from James Reese Europe and Paul Whiteman to Duke Ellington, John Graas and beyond. When I began this research back in 1972, much of this music was unavailable. The Zodiac Suite was in Mary Lou's possession, as well as all of her other music (archivist Anne Kuebler noted that Williams kept nearly everything, from dry cleaning receipts to napkins with the names of songs on them given to her as requests when she appeared at a club). Based on the trio recordings, this suite held great fascination for me for a variety of reasons: Williams was already an established composer/arranger/pianist, and this was her first attempt at writing for orchestra. She was also growing as a musician and composer based on her music studies. Acetates made at the concert were lost for many years, but they turned up and became available on CD. They revealed the performance of the Zodiac Suite to be dominated by Williams's piano, with contributions by tenor saxophonist Ben Webster, clarinetists Eddie Barefield and Edmund Hall, and trumpeter Irving “Mousie” Randolph. In spite of some obvious moments where the ensemble was ragged or did not come in on time, the piece seemed to come off well. With due respect to performances, which obviously bring the music to life, the source materials (in this case the original scores and parts) are the direct communication to the conductor and musicians to realize the wishes of the composer in the case of a concert work. When I was finally able to examine the existing sources of the Zodiac Suite, they revealed an intriguing and probably disturbing experience for the composer. Their various problems certainly explain why Mary Lou Williams was upset at concert's end, and perhaps why this version was probably never performed again in her lifetime. In fact, she originally had great ambitions for the Zodiac Suite, orchestrating three movements for full symphony orchestra, which were played at a concert at Carnegie Hall. She may have abandoned further work on Zodiac based on her disappointment at Town Hall, only to adapt a few of the movements when she appeared with Dizzy Gillespie's Orchestra for a 1957 appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival. Some of these problems were caused by her inexperience in the concert arena. The music is sometimes written in keys such as E Major, Db Major and even Gb Major, creating major problems with regard to blending and intonation. More importantly, the score has numerous note errors, transposition errors, missing notes, sections with unnecessary accidentals, and confusion over the alto and tenor clefs for viola and bassoon parts, all typical of a novice orchestral composer. These sorts of errors can also be found in manuscripts of her big band compositions as well, particularly when she copied the parts herself. When extracting the parts for Zodiac, copyist Al Hall did not question many of these errors, and introduced mistakes of his own. Williams also changed some of the music during rehearsals; these fixes were marked in the parts by the musicians themselves. It is obvious that the one-line conductor parts were written out last; they reflect the way the music was played at the concert, telling us that musical decisions were ‘locked in' by performance time. This forward serves to document the most salient issues that needed to be dealt with so that this music could be published and performed. Williams wound up cutting some of the orchestration partly due to the rubato nature of many of the movements, and the resulting inability of the orchestra to play in synchronization with the piano. In addition, the numerous copy errors were never fully ironed out, forcing her to make additional cuts; if someone wanted to use the parts for future performances, they would have to have been heavily edited and corrected. In two cases, the orchestration was cut altogether and these movements were played as piano solos. Except for solo passages, the piano parts were written as condensed scores in the full scores, and Williams frequently played along with the instrumentalists to ‘cover' them during sections that were meant to be played by the orchestra only. Some pieces had to have musical changes that ultimately caused them to be cut in performance (Aquarius has instances where bars are added and rhythms rewritten; one change had been caught before the parts were copied, others were done after the fact. Ultimately the relevant sections were not played.) When the participants are gone and there is no one to consult to make key decisions, an editor of historic music must make judgments and assumptions to properly serve the music. With regard to the Zodiac Suite, I have taken the attitude that the scores that were written by Williams were the way she ultimately wanted the work to be played, and whatever cuts that she made for the Town Hall performance were temporary so that the piece could be presented (however, there are instances where she made musical revisions, such as harmonies). As a result, the editorial work needed was to clarify rhythms, fix incorrect pitches and transpositions, and make the dynamics consistent (instead of an overall dynamic if woodwinds and brass are playing together, Williams tended to write different dynamics for each instrument in an attempt to indicate sonic balances. This can tend to be confusing, so it has been fixed here). In only one instance have I altered the orchestration, and this is an addition to bring out a musical line; it can be omitted at the conductor's discretion. The most important decision was to omit the piano ‘coverings' of the sections where instruments are playing solo lines or harmonies, as the piano tends to swallow instrumental colors, particularly in the case of smaller ensembles in performance. Williams' orchestrations deserve to be heard in all their glory, not doubled by the piano. This approach also highlights the sections where the piano is the solo voice, helping it to stand out.